But you need to be extremely careful when you’re trying out a new curling iron, because while a gentle,professional-quality tool will glide around your locks, nourishing your hair with shine and giving you stunning, natural volume…

A cheaper iron made of harsh materials will zap your strands and suck out all the moisture, leaving you with dry, frizzy ringlets that feel like sandpaper.

Choose poorly, and you’ll wake up to a tangle of bizarre creases or crazy fluff floating around your head…

Wasting hours of your morning slapping on buckets of sticky hairspray, only to have your curls dissolve into limp noodles by noon.

The perfect curling iron isn’t just a device you dust off once in a blue moon to look extra zesty for date night or to wow at a random wedding…

<span”>It’s an everyday staple you rely on to give you effortless, natural curls that last all day long.

Choosing the wrong iron is an easy trap that many shoppers fall into, but we are here to show you exactly what to look for when browsing through all your curling iron options.

With a professional-quality curling iron in hand, any thick, coarse mop of hair can be transformed into shiny, long-lasting curls with zero frizz or damage in a matter of minutes.

How To Shop For The Perfect Curling Iron

There IS a high-quality curling iron out there that will quickly give you smooth, voluminous curls. All you have to do is find one proven to deliver salon-quality results at an affordable price.

And luckily for you, being the beauty junkies we are, we found them for you!

We’ve based our top curling iron picks on the below criteria:

Quick Heat Up

This is the #1 crucial time-saving feature to make sure you get shiny, gorgeous curls that hold all day long (if not longer). The heat up power also decides whether your mornings will be spent slaving away with shaking, burnt arms or allow you to take your time getting ready, and enjoy feeling beautiful and sexy without feeling pressure to hurry.

Gentle Barrel Composition

Professional-quality barrels that are composed of ceramic, tourmaline, or titanium erase the risk of drying out your hair into a frizzy crumble, no matter how hot it gets. The nourishing transfer of even heat through these soothing materials has been proven to help heal rough, dry spots, leaving an abundance of wavy gorgeous, shine.

Cutting-Edge Infrared & Ionic Tech

These advanced functionalities guarantee hair quality is actually enhanced each time you curl it. Instead of drying out or frying hair, infrared heats each section from the inside which results in retaining more moisture and improving your hair over a long period of time — while ionic technology zaps static and erases away frizz.

Lightweight and Easy to Use

You’re going to love your new best friend — your curling iron! You’ll want to take it with you wherever you go, so checking the weight on these tools is definitely a must. Lightweight curling irons travel easily and make the entire curling process fun and fast. You want your beauty routine to be carefree and filled with smiles rather than be a dreaded chore.

Value

Rather than heave out this month’s rent on a curling iron, you can quickly find a curler that does the exact same incredible job as the ones with a wince-worthy price tag. Most of our top picks fall near the $100 mark. That way you don’t have to feel guilty about taking the plunge on a professional-quality curling iron, but also know you’re investing in a tool that won’t crumble to pieces in your hands or singe off your ends. So you can feel happy and look stunning.

Durability and Warranty

The last thing you want is to fall in love with an amazing curling iron only to have it break in 4 weeks. When choosing a curling iron, make sure that the company offers generous warranties, uses sturdy materials and design AND offers a money back guarantee.

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SRI Perfect Curl

SRI Perfect Curl

The SRI Perfect Curl Rose Gold Titanium Curling Iron ensures even, effective heat distribution to give you spiraling, shiny curls in the ideal size for the look you want, with all day hold and fun, easy, fast styling.

Our Favorite Pick! SRI Perfect Curl

The SRI Perfect Curl is our top choice because it was so easy to use and gave everyone super soft pretty curls. It’s a really fast-heating curling iron that doesn’t dry out hair sections, but gives it a really smooth, shiny finish.

The SRI Perfect Curl is such an affordable price, it’s definitely the best ceramic-tourmaline quality you’re going to get for under $100. We also found that the quality/price ratio is one of the best of its kind for the market today and you can get an even better price when you sign up for their First Time Customer Special.

And the best part is, you can use it every day since it makes your hair smoother and softer rather than drying it out, perfect for anyone looking to get a durable curling iron that will get a lot of use.

PROS:

Titanium barrel left hair healthy and shiny

Negative ion technology eliminated frizz and static

Incredibly helpful customer service team answered all questions warmly

Hair actually became thicker and healthier after using this tool

Very affordable for such a professional-quality device

CONS:

Only available online

Frequently on backorder

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DryBar – The 3 Day Bender

Drybar The 3-Day Bender 1.25

A curling iron for stunning, shiny, bouncy curls. This must-have curling iron features a rotating barrel that makes curling hair quick and easy.

Michelle Chen has written articles on a wide variety of topics such as technology, health and wellness, sociology and culture, entertainment, as well as travel and recreation guides. She has worked throughout her community to bring physical education to elementary schools and provide accessibility to extra-curricular activities for inner city youths through various organizations. In her free time, Michelle enjoys volunteering at her local animal shelter, hiking with her two Labrador retrievers and practicing yoga.